Any reviews for Career Step or Andrews Training Corp?

Hi,
I am looking at CS and Allied. I am thinking of being a MT part time (is that possible?). I am currently a SAHM who also homeschools. My dh is out of town during the week so I really need to work from home. My kids aren't tiny so I do have the time do work while they do afternoon activities, entertain each other or after the younger kids go to bed. I am not looking to make a quick buck, we just need the extra income.

I have looked at the *want adds* and they all require 1 year of experience. How hard is it to get a job without experience? It doesn't sound like either place is great with job placement.
Thanks :)

Chris

I have dial up internet at home but can access high speed in town at several public locations. My question is: in order to download or listen to the audio files for transcription will I need high speed. I can download the files and have them on my computer to use at home. Will this be an option. I am getting ready to put pen to paper to sign up for the CS MT program and would like to know ASAP. Thanks.

mlhh4@aol.com in Phoenix, Arizona said: Does anyone have their used books and cd they would like to sell from Career Step>

I found a lady who is selling her books. This is the website:
www.classifieds.medical-transcription1.com/DisplayPostDetailprovider=88105QSTcategory=412-BooksQSTid=QSTPrintPage=1.htm

Dianna -

I searched the forum for recents posts regarding dial-up, and found that someone posed a similar question in March of 2010; this response is from one of the CS consultants: "Dial-up is much slower, so the audio files will take much longer to load. Once you're looking for a job, you'll find that more opportunities are open to you if you have high-speed such as DSL (just something to consider)" - I understand that to mean it is certainly possible, but just expect things to take A LOT longer. As far as downloading the audio files, in the edition I'm in (started in December)nothing is downloaded, but I believe you DO download in the newest edition of the course but I may certainly be wrong...?? That would be a great question for them before you enroll.

Good luck - hope this works out for you :)

What exactly is SUM - System Unit Measure and how does it figure into the training programs?

Someone I am emailing at CS said high speed is preferred but dial up will work. I can access high speed in town to download the audio and save to my computer and then use them at home.

lrcdanceprincess@yahoo.com in Tucson, Arizona said: Well said, Southern Belle in S. Carolina! The effort you put into something in life is what you get out of it. That goes for schooling also. All three schools are good. It's up to the student themselves.

With the baby boomers getting older and needing medical care, I think there will be a lot of MT jobs out there for good MTs.

I started CS Sept. 21st and I am already half way through their Anatomy module. I like their teaching methods and some of it is tough. I work part-time, so I devote a full four hours each afternoon to the course and if I get a chance, a few hours on the weekend. Although I intend to buy their hard copy version later, I do make my own hand-written copy of what I think is important for me to know in every lesson.

I am a 58 year old 'boomer' and yeah we are starting to be in need of medical care :) So much for the 'golden years'.

I have no experience with SUMs but have read they are not nearly as demanding as the CS files - they're okay for practice but not worth the money if you were thinking about purchasing them.

Again, only read this on the forum, have no experience with them at all.

Glad you got an answer from CS regarding your dial-up situation!

I have books for sale from when I took the Career Step program in 2008 if anyone is interested. I paid for the Gold Edition so I have quite a few.....please email me if you are interested.

cashck in Marietta, Georgia said: I agree. I just turned 55 also. I am currently about 40% finished with the course. The way I understand it, age really doesn't matter as long as you are good at what you do. The average age of transcriptionists right now is 55. Some will retire, move up or move on, making room for new MTs.

I am 58 and preparing to retire from my garden maintenance business of 26 years. My poor old body is breaking down but my mind is still good. My husband at 81 is in the same boat. I was looking for work that I could do on a computer and hopefully at home. I think this finally fits the bill for me. I am a determined, charge forward and do it person and have pretty much attained everything I have set my mind to my whole life.
I believe that hard work and determination creates my reality. Needless to say this is my new direction in this life.

Who has purchased and can recommend which 'The Book of Style for Medical Transcription' I should consider. There are two I am looking at: The 3rd edition of AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription
By Claudia Tessier - AHDI (99) and The Book of Style for Medical Transcription by Lea M. Sims, and John H. Dirckx 3 edition (June 15, 2008)
Any suggestions?

i'm attending billing as well. There are more onsite billing jobs in my area. Having said that I attended career step, graduated 2008 and am working for 20.00 an hour out of my house.
HTH

Can anyone recommend any MT chat sites other than this one. I have been searching and finding lots but wanted your input.

I just received this message from a friend and fellow high school alumni. Please give me some feedback on this because I'm on day 2 of my enrollment and I have three days to back out....

"I don't know about anywhere else but here all medical offices have to go paperless which means no more dictation, no transcription. It all goes directly into a computer by the doctor. At least that is my impression. I guess there is a software that does the transcribing. A lot of the offices I know of here have fired their transcription people. In fact I have one friend here who works for Kaiser and her job ended already due to the new system. Something to consider and look into. "

primo in Sugar Land, Texas said: i'm attending billing as well. There are more onsite billing jobs in my area. Having said that I attended career step, graduated 2008 and am working for 20.00 an hour out of my house.
HTH

Please look at my latest post about work not being available in the future and please give me your advice and take on this.

CHauptman in Palmdale, California said: I graduated from Career Step in February with honors and then retook my final in March to receive High Honors. I have applied to around 50 companies so far with no results. Most are not hiring at this time or do not hire newbies, and these were from the recommended list. Career Step is supportive as far as your resume and telling how to apply, but they do not do job placement. My daughter-in-law graduated in October and had a job in February, so I believe timing is the key. I think it is a good course but I am skeptical about the profession now.

I just received this message from a friend and fellow high school alumni. Please give me some feedback on this because I'm on day 2 of my enrollment and I have three days to back out....

"I don't know about anywhere else but here all medical offices have to go paperless which means no more dictation, no transcription. It all goes directly into a computer by the doctor. At least that is my impression. I guess there is a software that does the transcribing. A lot of the offices I know of here have fired their transcription people. In fact I have one friend here who works for Kaiser and her job ended already due to the new system. Something to consider and look into. "

Jen H. in Summerville, South Carolina said: Hey tornadojess,

My aunt is actually head of transcription at one of the really big hospitals in my area. She told me that all I need is a certificate, and I am promised a home-based job. I will be able to choose my hours according to when I am available. I don't really know much about other places, but I have heard that if you do really well on your exit exam, you will get offers from companies such as Spheris and Medquist as soon as you graduate.. (I'm going through CareerStep, I'm not sure who you're training with..)

Good luck!!!

I just received this message from a friend and fellow high school alumni. Please give me some feedback on this because I'm on day 2 of my enrollment and I have three days to back out....

"I don't know about anywhere else but here all medical offices have to go paperless which means no more dictation, no transcription. It all goes directly into a computer by the doctor. At least that is my impression. I guess there is a software that does the transcribing. A lot of the offices I know of here have fired their transcription people. In fact I have one friend here who works for Kaiser and her job ended already due to the new system. Something to consider and look into. "

Misty_ICMT in San Pedro, California said: Hi Kelli,

I graduated from Career Step in September 2007 and had a job within two weeks of graduating. I didn't pay for the extra assistance looking for a job, but found they were a great help anyways. I still continue to receive e-mails periodically regarding companies that have contacted Career Step looking for graduates. I currently work as an independent contractor and all my clients have come through information I found through Career Step. I felt very prepared going into the workforce after my training with Career Step and still use their message board as a reference for job opportunities and company research, reference materials, and equipment info. Being able to transcribe "real" reports straight from the doctors was tremendous in preparing me for the working world. I highly recommend them!

Good luck!

Misty

I just received this message from a friend and fellow high school alumni. Please give me some feedback on this because I'm on day 2 of my enrollment and I have three days to back out....

"I don't know about anywhere else but here all medical offices have to go paperless which means no more dictation, no transcription. It all goes directly into a computer by the doctor. At least that is my impression. I guess there is a software that does the transcribing. A lot of the offices I know of here have fired their transcription people. In fact I have one friend here who works for Kaiser and her job ended already due to the new system. Something to consider and look into. "

Since I posted the above, I am now a working MT. I actually had two job offers and chose the part time over the full time. I love my job, but am not making very much yet. Probably around $3 or $4 an hour, but hopefully, as my experience increases, so will my paycheck. I have been working for this company now for about 3 months.

I am moving to Kauai and have set interviews with hotels and resorts on the island for hospitality and security work. I will be there the middle of September and two of them so far want me to come in and talk to them. At the very least I could work with them at about $12.50 to $18 an hour and get by until something else turned up. My other option is being with a temp agency and getting my foot in the door with potential employeers. My big deal is I would like to work freelance like I have done for the past 26 years... I'm spoiled because I'm a great boss :)

someone asked me to post about the lack of work. I was in IT for 25 years and there was no work for document conversion, went into real estate... need I say more, I'm working now. I am not sure how the changes are going to affect MT, but I work and get paid now. That's all I can tell you is my experience. 3 doctors will keep one MT very busy in a week. Just sit down and think about how many doctors there are, the expense of EMR, and whether you would be willing to go voice recognition. I cannot speak for someone who works at Kaiser.
sorry.

primo in Sugar Land, Texas said: someone asked me to post about the lack of work. I was in IT for 25 years and there was no work for document conversion, went into real estate... need I say more, I'm working now. I am not sure how the changes are going to affect MT, but I work and get paid now. That's all I can tell you is my experience. 3 doctors will keep one MT very busy in a week. Just sit down and think about how many doctors there are, the expense of EMR, and whether you would be willing to go voice recognition. I cannot speak for someone who works at Kaiser.
sorry.

almost all of the physicians I have worked for in the last 4 years have all used a voice recognized program, which negates the need for transcription. Some of the "old school" doctors still had dictation sent out, but most of them will be retiring in the next few years.

ehamilton70452 in Lafayette, Louisiana said: Terrilyn, CareerStep and Andrews accepts Sallie Mae Career Training Loans. I don't know if that is the route you want to take but it is an option. I have read somewhere that Everett CC does the CareerStep curriculum and they accept Pell grants. Check out the list of approved schools at the AHDI website, I think some of that info is there for you as well as websites for those schools. I listed the Sallie Mae website for the Career Training Loans below.

www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/find_student_loan/training_loans/career_training_loans/

I say all that because I am the same boat with the those payments plans! Phew, who has that kind of money nowadays...You can call the school and ask them about the Sallie Mae stuff and they can tell how exactly to go about it. I hope this helps a bit!

I've recently inquired to Career Step about the Sallie Mae Loan. They are no longer accepting the Sallie Mae Loan.

Oh the stimulus plan, the Obamanation.... Talk to me after November. This is very expensive to impliment the EMR and lots of loopholes in using EMR with legal ramifications for the doctors. VR is definately the wave, but the EMR is going to be a little more difficult. Too many holes in it. Some doctors use it and then dictate their op reports. Furthermore, isn't Medicare and Medicaid going broke along with SS? I'm working a lot and just 3 years ago I was watching the demise of the real estate market. Another thing to consider is now they do NOT want to offshore anymore. Jobs are coming back home because of quality issues. Look at the ads for transcriptionists, they always read.... no offshore please. Just a thought. Approval rating 35%... please

welcome back brooklyn... where ya been?

hi .. i have a question if any one can help me please

When i finish part 1 of the course, do i get any certificate or anything? because i might not be able to take part 2 for a while so i just want to know what do i get for completing part 1 only??
i m taking it with FTCC through CS

thanks for the help... waiting for reply

Terrilynn in Maryville, Missouri said: I checked out FTCC and they emailed me back stating that they didn't accept Pell Grants or do any kind of financial aid because their medical transcription course is a continuing education class. They suggested I try getting a sponsor from my area. I have no idea how to go about that. I am just getting really frustrated with all the road blocks I am hitting. I've thought about trying Sallie Mae, but I know I won't be able to make the loan payments right now. I'm going to try to keep searching for something to get me into those classes tho.

Try San Juan College in New Mexico. They offer the CS program and accept pell grants.

mimoo in Nashua, New Hampshire said: hi .. i have a question if any one can help me please

When i finish part 1 of the course, do i get any certificate or anything? because i might not be able to take part 2 for a while so i just want to know what do i get for completing part 1 only??
i m taking it with FTCC through CS

thanks for the help... waiting for reply

I would contact FTCC on waiting to enroll for part 2. I think there may be a 12 month completion limit for both parts. I am not 100% sure but wanted to reply to your post.

Chris in Los Angeles, California said: Hi,
I am looking at CS and Allied. I am thinking of being a MT part time (is that possible?). I am currently a SAHM who also homeschools. My dh is out of town during the week so I really need to work from home. My kids aren't tiny so I do have the time do work while they do afternoon activities, entertain each other or after the younger kids go to bed. I am not looking to make a quick buck, we just need the extra income.

I have looked at the *want adds* and they all require 1 year of experience. How hard is it to get a job without experience? It doesn't sound like either place is great with job placement.
Thanks :)

Chris

I would definately pick CS over Allied. I can't answer about job placement.

I suspect due to the economy and a lot of men being layed off women that were working part-time/prn are working full-time + now. I wonder if that is part of the reason why it is so hard for new grads to find an entry level job. I know a lot of nurses that have picked up more hours due to their husbands being layed off. Jobs in healthcare are more recession proof so a lot of women pick up for the dropped income in economic down times.
I am sure VR with the transcriptionists producing 3x the # of lines for 1/2 the pay does not help the job market either. :(

Career Step is a good course. I graduated last year with honors. The problem with Career Step is that they advertise that their graduates get multiple job offers instantly after graduation and paint the pretty picture in your head of working at home with your kids by your side.

The reality is that it is TOUGH to find a job as a new graduate. It takes over a 100 job applications/resumes and even months. Also, this is job that requires intense concentration. Your kids will need someone else to watch them while you are working. Finally, it is next to impossible to find part time work as a new graduate as most companies want you to work full time to gain experience. If you are wanting to be successful as a new graduate you will need to pass with high honors and be ready to work full time.

I graduated from CareerStep in October 2005 and was hired by Spheris in January 2006. I chose CareerStep because they are highly recommended by a lot of national companies and their program is very comprehensive. I have to agree that working from home with your kids can be difficult (depending on their ages). I worked from home for Spheris (as a brand new graduate) until my daughter was 17 months old. By that time it was just too difficult to maintain my concentration and complete my 8 hours every day. I eventually went back into my original line of work (paralegal). I would recommend anyone interested in becoming an MT to get their training with CareerStep and have referred numerous people to them in the past 5 years. I am actually considering their medical billing and coding course.

Marnie in Greenbrier, Arkansas said: Career Step is a good course. I graduated last year with honors. The problem with Career Step is that they advertise that their graduates get multiple job offers instantly after graduation and paint the pretty picture in your head of working at home with your kids by your side.

The reality is that it is TOUGH to find a job as a new graduate. It takes over a 100 job applications/resumes and even months. Also, this is job that requires intense concentration. Your kids will need someone else to watch them while you are working. Finally, it is next to impossible to find part time work as a new graduate as most companies want you to work full time to gain experience. If you are wanting to be successful as a new graduate you will need to pass with high honors and be ready to work full time.

A lot of people get into coding for the same reason, they think they can hang out watching tv with their kids while they work. Most remote employers prefer or even require that you work secure work area (you are dealing with HIPPA information)and also requires focus and concentration and not a million interruptions.

The school is first and foremost a business and want your money. Reasearch on your own, DO NOT believe everything the school tells you, once they have your money, they usually do not care if you can find a job or not.

Also, most work from home (at least coding) requires you to have experience, you will not be able to graduate and go straight to working from home.

I just graduated from Career Step in May and found an independent consultant job in about 2 weeks. It was part time to start and is slowly becoming full time. I feel the program was great preparation for this career, and I have had no problems doing my job with great accuracy. This is a case of you getting out what you put in. If you really study and learn the program and then work very hard applying to lots of companies, you will get a shot. Then you have to work very hard at your new job to show you know what you are doing. It is not always easy but for me Career Step has been a great way to get into a new career.

Thanks for the encouraging words. You hear a lot more negative feedback these days, so it's nice to see that you have had some success from your efforts and hard work. Wishing lots of luck in your future pursuits - keep up the good work!

Hello. i am seriously considering taking the MT course. My husband and i live in Mountain City, TN which is very remote. is there anyone out there who lives in a remote area, has taken the course, and has been employed and able to work at home?

Not really sure it matters where you live. Many jobs with big and small transcription companies are done remotely via the internet. So you could potentially work for a company halfway across the country. You do need to have a solid internet connection like cable, and preferably not satellite, to work for many employers. Hope that answers your question. (I work for a company several hours away and have only "met" my employers on the phone and the internet)

I'm thinking of taking the MT course at TRSI and was wondering if anyone else has taken it and what they thought?

Hey supertyper, did you go through the medical transcription program or the billing/coding program with CareerStep?

I took the Medical transcription program through Career Step and thought it was great. It really prepared me for my job.

Retired Air Force, stay at home dad, looking at Med. Transcription. Looks like many happy people who took the Career Step course. I live near Indianapolis and would like to work at home. Is anyone out there from Indianapolis who does this kind of work?? I would like to talk with them to see who's hiring, etc, etc, etc.....Thanks for any response to this :-)

Indytransplant08 in Brownsburg, Indiana said: Retired Air Force, stay at home dad, looking at Med. Transcription. Looks like many happy people who took the Career Step course. I live near Indianapolis and would like to work at home. Is anyone out there from Indianapolis who does this kind of work?? I would like to talk with them to see who's hiring, etc, etc, etc.....Thanks for any response to this :-)

If you just looking for work at home check out some of the call center jobs at home:
westathome
convergys
alpineaccess

Primo in Richmond, Texas said: I attended and graduated Career Step. You can email me at llandman1@comast.net for further information.
Thanks!

Please give me advice on whether to attend Career Step. I am currently working but when i have another child I want to be able to stay at home and work part time as a MT. I have found good and bad reviews I need your honest opinion on whether to choose Career Step. Is the salary for a MT good? Is Career Step accredited? Do they really help with job placement? Do you know other graduates that could also give me feedback? Thanks so much for your time it is greatly appreciated.

Re'

I hear a lot of people recommend Career Step for MT school, has anyone heard anything about the course at TRSI? I'm really not sure which school to pick for the MT course.

Polly

obxmslee in Pikeville, Tennessee said: Hi Kelli,

I graduated from Career Step a few years ago, and they were no help at all with finding me work. I applied at Spheris which they promote as hiring there graduates, they hired someone with experience. I would suggest you take as many online test with companies hiring and try to get on with one, that is what I did and finally landed a job 3 years ago, but it took me about 5 months before I passed a test and someone actually gave me a chance. Good luck to you, hope you find work.

You say you graduated? Do you know how many grammatical errors you made in your post? I'm not convinced Career Step was the reason you had a hard time getting a job. It's kind of easy to see why they wouldn't want to help you find one.

judy/carmen in Brooklyn, New York said: Aren't you exaggerating?
Many grammatical errors? I found only 2, namely "there" instead of "their" and "test" instead of "tests."
There are MT boards where correcting others' posts is strictly forbidden and causes to be banned from posting.
What's "eating" you?

I know he/she (from Indiana) was being rude, but I think he/she has a valid point. When reading about these online MT programs, you have to decide for yourself who is merely blaming Career Step for their own personal challenges such as poor grammar. There were a lot more than two errors, and that is a fact. He/she (from Tennessee) combined incomplete, choppy sentences a lot and spliced a lot of sentences with commas. I even paused at one point reading her post, because it was confusing / poorly written. (This point would be where she said, "they hired someone with experience.")

Hey, this is an odd question, but does anyone know if you can change your method of payment later once you sign up for a payment plan option for Career Step? Like say I want to switch from my credit card to my debit card later.

Does anyone know what MT's make in salaries? What is the going rate per line now? I'm also curious as to how fast do you all type??? I am currently a CS student and so far the program is going well. Got through the first four modules and yes, passed. My texts arrived today and though it seemed somewhat overwhelming, I reminded myself that I was not going to do this overnight.
Any advice from Grads would be appreciated as well.

K in Temecula, California said: Kat,

Could I send you a private email? I have a question for you.

Thanks!

are you still around? I live in Escondido and am wondering if I could get the name of the company you work for?

I am considering Career Step for my MT course. It seems like alot of people on here went through them as well. Can anyone provide feedback and should I purchase the books? I want to get started with the course soon, and hopefully be able to work from home.